Bayer Leverkusen vs Marseille prediction 05.11.2026 | Europa League

Bayer Leverkusen could do better, but they are still solid this season. In the Bundesliga, they trail the league leaders, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, by five points and will likely be among the teams fighting for a place in the Champions League. In the Europa League, they are perfect after three rounds and have a good position to qualify for the 1/8 final. However, Bayer Leverkusen lost two of the last three matches. In the most recent outing, they lost 4-2 at home against Stuttgart. The hosts were terrible defensively. They allowed too many clear chances and deservedly left empty-handed.

Although Bayer lost in the previous match, the head coach, Carles Martinez, saw some positives. He commented, "In my opinion, the scoreline was too harsh considering how open the game was. Could have scored more than just one goal, particularly in the first half. I saw many things from my team that I am happy with, but of course, we want to improve to the point where we can win these kinds of games as well."

Bayer Leverkusen have problems with injuries. Moussa Diaby, Martin Terrier, Kennet Eichhorn, Eliesse Ben Seghir, and Guela Doue are injured and will miss Thursday night, while Christian Kofane and Loic Bade are questionable.

Marseille were terrible at the start of the season. However, after significantly better form lately, Bruno Genesio's team are again among the best Ligue 1 teams, and we could expect them to fight for a place in the Champions League. In the Europa League, Marseille have been disappointing so far, with all three defeats, and will have to do much better to progress to the knockout phase. Marseille won three of the last four matches. In the previous game, they won 2-0 at home against Toulouse. The hosts didn't dominate, but their outstanding efficiency in the first half was enough for another victory.

Bruno Genesio was satisfied with his team's win last weekend. He commented, "As for the performance, I'd say I was satisfied with one half, yes. We had a good first half, with good pressing, forward-thinking football, movement, and plenty of variety in our play.

Then we had a slightly more difficult, more challenging second half because I think we dropped too deep. That's not entirely surprising, especially against a very good Toulouse side."

Marseille have an almost full squad for Thursday, as Derek Cornelius is the only one unavailable. At the same time, Emerson Palmieri is questionable, and his status will become clearer closer to the kickoff.